Bad experience with TEKSystems/Allegis?

[palarey]

Re: problem with TEKSystems

Has anyone else had a bad experience with TEKSystems/Allegis? I've found them incredibly slow and inefficient at onboarding, and completely disinterested in the cost this inflicts on the contractor waiting to start.

If anyone else has had problems and/or solutions, please let me know!

I recently accepted a contract through TEKSystems. There would be a month before I started and that suited me. I was advised the onboarding would take a few weeks. I’d already had another offer but decided this was a better contract. I checked with the agent before accepting that the project was definitely going ahead (it was a big well known client) and after being reassured I accepted the contract.

The onboarding was a nightmare. They wanted a copy of my degree (which I sent) but that wasn’t enough, they contacted the University for confirmation. They wanted details of all my contracts for the last five years and checked every single reference. They wanted me to travel to one of their offices to verify my passport (a copy wasn’t enough) although they finally dropped that condition. I had to pay for my own criminal check. The person doing the onboarding was slow in responding, lost some of the things I sent and then took ages to check stuff.

They also wanted me to consent to a media check (which I did). They waited two weeks before starting the check which they then told me could take two weeks which would have meant it would not have been complete before my start date.

Throughout this time they would not issue my contract until all compliance checks were completed.

A few days before I was due to start they still hadn’t issued my contract. When I threatened to contact the client directly my agent told me the contract had been cancelled.

My agent claimed he didn’t know the client was going to cancel the contract right until he told me. Truth is I knew something was wrong for at least a couple of weeks. They were evasive about the progress of the compliance checks and refused to issue my contract.

This is my second contract through TEkSystems. I would never deal with them again.

[wattaj]

With agents wanting contacts, I give them the names and phone numbers of other agents.

^^ This. Always this.

[NotAllThere]

Has anyone else had a bad experience with TEKSystems/Allegis? I've found them incredibly slow and inefficient at onboarding, and completely disuninterested in the cost this inflicts on the contractor waiting to start.

If anyone else has had problems and/or solutions, please let me know!

Fixed that for you. Disinterested means have an interest but are not personally affected by it. TEKSystems/Allegis according to you have no interest at all.

With agents wanting contacts, I give them the names and phone numbers of other agents.

[BoredBloke]

My experience as well. He took me for a coffee to chat about contracts coming up but was quizzing me all the time about previous bosses I worked under.

I have a terrible memory and probably gave him a few wrong names

He then called a couple of weeks later to say the contract was close but two referees up front would speed things up. I declined saying I would give them as soon as he secured the contract.

That was a couple of months ago and, funnily enough, I haven't heard a peep since.

I've had that also. But I just tell them out right that I'm not going to give names of previous bosses/contacts. Makes for quite a tumbleweedy coffee....so what did you watch on tv last night?

[GigiBronz]

Onbording was rubbish. Recruiter was doing his best trying to make me switch to one of their umbrellas. Would not issue a contract so threatened not to show on site, than he lied to client that i wanted to pospone onboarding while he was still not issuing contract. Picking issues with the ltd company that were non of his concern. I would avoild like the plague unless it is the only choice to get the client.

[Batcher]

I avoided them like the plague. Their approach was worst than a second hand car salesman wanting their next sale. The push for 'who was your previous manager,' 'give me two referees up front so it will speed up the on boarding process' etc was vomit inducing.

My experience as well. He took me for a coffee to chat about contracts coming up but was quizzing me all the time about previous bosses I worked under.

I have a terrible memory and probably gave him a few wrong names

He then called a couple of weeks later to say the contract was close but two referees up front would speed things up. I declined saying I would give them as soon as he secured the contract.

That was a couple of months ago and, funnily enough, I haven't heard a peep since.

[AndrewK]

~8 years experience with them. In total 3 contracts with them. Probably similar to other larger agencies. Some agents cowboys, some good.
Overall below average, but good enough.

[jmo21]

I avoided them like the plague. Their approach was worst than a second hand car salesman wanting their next sale. The push for 'who was your previous manager,' 'give me two referees up front so it will speed up the on boarding process' etc was vomit inducing.

+1, they have turned the "I need 2 references" lie into a work of art. They can stick their virtual bench, up their virtual (o)

[BoredBloke]

I've used them before and never had an issue. In terms of on boarding much of that is dictated by the end client. Eg HSBC can take up to 4 weeks and RBS can be as little as 2 days!

As for not letting you know you'd not got a job. While it's the polite thing to do, a lot of agencies don't do it, simply because there is nothing in it for them. To flip it the other way, you'd not land a job and have an agent not bother telling you you'd got it for over 2 weeks.

[BolshieBastard]

Has anyone else had a bad experience with TEKSystems/Allegis? I've found them incredibly slow and inefficient at onboarding, and completely disinterested in the cost this inflicts on the contractor waiting to start.

If anyone else has had problems and/or solutions, please let me know!

I avoided them like the plague. Their approach was worst than a second hand car salesman wanting their next sale. The push for 'who was your previous manager,' 'give me two referees up front so it will speed up the on boarding process' etc was vomit inducing.

[Wary]

I went for an interview through them last year but they didn't bother to let me know I hadn't got the contract. I only discovered a week later after I twice chased them. The agent had gone on holiday that morning and although I was told that a colleague would phone me back to explain more, they never did.

So I wouldn't deal with them out of choice. But they're not the first agency to take the stance that once it's been confirmed you haven't got the job, then any time they spend on you after that (including having the courtesy to let you know) is a waste of their time.

[BrilloPad]

I used TEKsystems in 2015. I thought their onboarding was superb. The client side(MS) was awful....

[wattaj]

I've been with TEKsystems twice in recent years and they are no worse than any other agency. Most delays are caused by client requirements in my experience; banks being the worst.

[Lance]

Has anyone else had a bad experience with TEKSystems/Allegis? I've found them incredibly slow and inefficient at onboarding, and completely disinterested in the cost this inflicts on the contractor waiting to start.

If anyone else has had problems and/or solutions, please let me know!

why would any agent give two flicks about your costs?

[HappyMandarin]

Has anyone else had a bad experience with TEKSystems/Allegis? I've found them incredibly slow and inefficient at onboarding, and completely disinterested in the cost this inflicts on the contractor waiting to start.

If anyone else has had problems and/or solutions, please let me know!